MEN

The synchroblog topic “men” seems to have been a controversial one, and one which I hoped would bring up some interesting questions, moreso than answers, about the nature of human relationships and how we construct meaning via our gender. Even for most males, the idea of “men,” “maleness,” or “manliness” is something of a mystery; it is often unaddressed, or if is brought up it devolves into uncomfortable jokes, grunts, and eventually the passing notion of male intuition (your dick doesn’t tell you exactly what to do?); in reality being a man is high pressure – it is difficult and subjectively so – existing beside other gender constructs in time and place and culture and influenced by the elder men and women who cultivate young men into adult manhood.

I’ve often felt precisely that kind of isolation, and maybe it’s ironic that I usually feel that way in groups of men. The “safe” space they offer is often one where sensitivity is derided, self-expression is mocked, and vulnerability is crushed under a well-meaning heel.